


Extraordinary X-Men – Marvel Forever

by Brawl2099



Series: Extraordinary X-Men [1]
Category: X-Men (Comicverse)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-16
Updated: 2019-02-21
Packaged: 2019-08-24 16:09:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16643477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brawl2099/pseuds/Brawl2099
Summary: The X-Men face a terrifying menace that could destroy the world





	1. Chapter 1

  
Posted on [August 18, 2017August 18, 2017](https://marvelforever.wordpress.com/2017/08/18/extraordinary-x-men-absence-of-memory/) by [brawl2099](https://marvelforever.wordpress.com/author/brawl2099/)  


# Extraordinary X-Men- Absence of Memory

“Absence of Memory”

By Tony Thornley

=X=

_One two three…_

=X=

“Then, if no one has any objections to present, I now pronounce you man and wife!”

=X=

_One two three…_

=X=

“Piotr and I are taking a sabbatical from the X-Men.”

“Don’t worry darlin’, we knew. You two go enjoy your honeymoon.”

=X=

_One two three…_

=X=

“‘Ro, please, don’t make this harder than it has to be. I’ll be back soon. There’s something I need to do. Just watch the school for me.”

=X=

_One two three…_

=X=

“Remy, please. It’s time to give this up. You need to stop before this kills you.”

=X=

_One two three…_

=X=

“Gel, getting my powers back isn’t a good thing. In fact, it’s bad. Very bad.”

=X=

_One two three…_

=X=

“I thought we had something…”

“Dammit Victor, don’t make this harder than it has to be! I don’t know what we have!”

=X=

_One two three…_

=X=

“Miss Bell… are you okay?”

=X=

“One two three,” a voice said in the darkness. “Come on Forge, dammit. One two three.”

Ororo Munroe’s eyes fluttered open. Only a few moment ago, she was with Logan, giving her dear friend a hug before he vanished into the woods. Now, she was here. Where was here? It was familiar…

“One two three,” the voice said again, now more clearly a young woman with an Australian accent. “Dammit Maker, we need you! Come on! One two three.”

It was Eagle Plaza, Forge’s long-time home and base of operations. She started to push herself up, but found her head splitting with pain. What had happened to them? Why were they there?

“Ororo!” the voice exclaimed. “Thank heaven you’re awake!” Ororo turned, slowly, painfully, to face the young woman. She was an olive skinned young woman, no older than her early twenties, with black hair with white bangs. She knelt over Forge’s prone body. A small pool of blood spread underneath him, while more blood stained the girl’s hands and forearms.

“Help me please,” she said. “He-he’s dying and I don’t know what to do.”

“Ororo?” Piotr Rasputin growled. “Where are we?” His voice was groggy and his accent thick, as if he was just awaking from unconsciousness as well.

“Peter, don’t move,” Kitty Pryde whispered from next to him. “You’re hurt.”

“Oh my head,” Remy LeBeau moaned from outside her line of sight. “What the hell hit us?”

“I do not not know mein freund,” Kurt Wagner said, “but it appeared to hit Forge the hardest.” Kurt “bamfed” into her view, next to the girl. He tenderly moved her aside with a smile and crouched over his prone body. He muttered a curse in German. Storm mustered up the strength to stand.

“Kurt?”

“It’s bad Storm,” he said. “Our… ally… here seems to have slowed the blood flow, but he probably only has minutes if we don’t get him treatment.”

“‘Ro,” Logan said from behind her, “take him. Go. We’ll figure out the rest of this later.”

“What fucking truck hit me?” Jonothon Starsmore groaned from the corner.

“The same one that hit me?” Victor Borokowski said.

“‘RO!” Logan barked. She spun to see him. His mask was torn to shreds, and his costume was specked with bullet holes and blood, although his flesh wasn’t. “Forge needs to right now darlin’! You know Dallas better’n any of us. Take him and go!”

“No one leave!” Ororo exclaimed. She ran up to her former lover and swept him up in her arms, not caring about the blood on her white clothing. She turned and saw a gaping hole in the wall, leading outside. Her eyes went white, and a gale picked them up and carried them out of Eagle Plaza.

Logan tore away his mask and walked up to the girl. He put his hand on her shoulder. His presence clearly relaxed her.

“You okay kiddo?” he asked.

“Yeah, Logan, thank you,” she said.

“You’re welcome,” he said. “Now who the hell are you?”

She stumbled backwards in shock. The X-Men began to gather around Logan. As best as he could tell, the ten of them (including Ororo and Forge) were the only ones currently present, but the air reeked of something else. Some sort of hostile presence who wasn’t long gone.

“Logan, it’s me,” she gasped. “Eva. Tempus. I’ve been with you guys for months now.”

“Kiddo, clearly you know us,” he said. “But ain’t ever met you before. For all we know you’re the one that did this to us.”

“Wait, no,” she said. “I’m not-“

“Don’t worry,” he said. “I can tell you’re not. But still…”

“What’s the last thing each of you remember?” Kurt interjected.

“The wedding reception,” Colossus said.

“The same,” Kitty replied. She was gingerly rubbing her belly. Logan noticed immediately.

“Ja,” Kurt said. “The same. I remember dancing with Elizabeth, then we were here.”

“I was in the mansion, about to leave,” Remy said. “Rogue was tryin’ to stop me.”

“Ro and I were talking on the grounds. Also at the reception.” Logan paced the around the group carefully, sniffing the air. “That was spring, this is summer. I reckon we’re about three months later. Three months gone.” He knelt down. Spent shell. Traces of axel grease.

“Dammit.”

He jumped to his feet, spun and popped his claws.

“Logan?”

“We got company folks. Coming in fast.”

=X=

Storm’s hair billowed around her face as she rocketed towards the Baylor University Medical Center. The wind roared in her ears. She looked down at Forge. His breathing was shallow and ragged. He was in so much pain.

The hospital grew large in her vision. Her eyes began to water from the intensity of the wind. At least, that’s what she told herself.

She landed roughly in the ambulance bay. She strode forward, a gust of wind threw open the ER doors.

“I need help!” she cried. “My friend has been shot!”

Forge stirred at the sound of her voice. Doctors and nurse began to rush her with a gurney and equipment. They took him from her. He woke slightly, looked up at her and smiled.

“I knew it would be you,” he muttered. “Thank you. Save the world. It needs you.”

Then he was flooded with medical personnel.

She dropped to the ground on her knees, the adrenaline leaving her. She looked down at herself. His blood, his life, had stained her chest. This could be the last she’d ever see of Forge, and it was at his lowest.

“Ma’am, are you okay?” the last nurse there asked her. “What’s your friend’s name?”

“Forge,” she said. Rage suddenly filled her chest. “Contact SHIELD. They’ll take care of everything for him.” She stood, and spun. She strode out of the hospital.

“Ma’am, where are you going?”

Storm looked back, lightning in her eyes. “I’m going to kill the monsters who did that to my friend.”

=X=

Eagle Plaza shook as the team braced for a fight. Each of the X-Men looked at each other tensely. Logan popped his claws and Kurt drew a rapier from a scabbard at his hip. Kitty and Piotr reached out to each other, and squeezed hands briefly before he transformed into his metal form. Gambit pulled a deck of cards from his trenchcoat and began to shuffle them as Jono unwrapped his scarf from his chest. Victor looked at Eva with a grin.

“Welcome to the X-Men,” he joked. “Hope you survive the experience.”

“I’m already a damn X-Man!” Eva exclaimed.

And at the moment, the floor exploded around them in a series of small shaped charged around them, and collapsed onto the floor below.

They landed hard, but unhurt. Piotr reflexively shielded Kitty, while the others instantly went on the defensive.

Whoever it was wanted to make an entrance, because they simply stood around them, allowing themselves to be silhouetted in the dust and smoke. Logan finally snarled at the six figures.

“Come on Pierce, you son of a bitch,” he roared. “Show your face before I rip it off your skull!”

Donald Pierce stepped out of the smoke, a too-wide smile spread across his face, his too-sharp teeth shining like dull razors. The once-handsome man now looked like a figure from a horror movie, every appendage stretched a bit too long, every joint bulging too much under the tailored suit that had clearly been sewn only to accommodate his new figure. His only feature that still looked human was his eyes, in their piecing blue.

“I’m sorry Logan,” he said. “I thought after all these years you appreciated my flare for the dramatic.”

Logan simply growled.

“You picked the wrong day, Herr Pierce,” Nightcrawler growled. “This is a battle you will not win.”

“Will not?” he laughed. “Does that mean my attempt on Forge was unsuccessful? No matter.” He pointed at them with a too-long finger, with a too sharp nail. “Reavers… Kill.”

The smoke exploded into violence.

Wolverine and Nightcrawler jumped at Pierce in unison. Adamantium claws and vibranium sword clanged against Pierce’s cybernetic forearms. He threw his arms out, pushing them away. He smiled as he dropped his suit jacket office his lithe frame, and spikes grew from his arms, stretching his flesh horrifically. Logan attacked again with a roar, and Pierce swatted his claws away. Kurt teleported, reappeared behind him, and chopped at his kidneys. His foe cried in pain and spun, but Nightcrawler was gone, teleported again. This time he reappeared in front of him in a low crouch. He thrust once, striking his gut, then teleported away again. Pierce screamed in pain.

A burly cyborg barreled out of the smoke at Tempus and Chamber. Eva sidestepped, shifting her powers on for a split second, which gave her about fifteen in her perception. She dropped, kicked, and shifted back into the normal flow of time. The bruiser hit her leg sweep, and stumbled out of his charge. Jono grinned, an obvious expression even on his ruined face, and blasted the Reaver with bio-nuclear fire. The concussion sent him tumbling backwards, and the heat seared and cooked flesh. He landed in a heap away from the fight. Jono glanced at Eva.

“Good move gel,” he said in her head.

“Learned it from you guys.”

Kitty and Piotr smiled at each other. “The beard’s a good look for you,” she said.

“Thank you,” he said. “You’re practically glowing.”

With that, the duo split up. A long, serpentine Reaver jumped at Shadowcat. She phased through its first attack, spun and slammed her now-solid fists into the back of its head. It cried out, and landed face first on the cement. Colossus stood firm against his attacker, a short, small leaper, similar in stature to Toad. It jumped at his face. He moved much quicker than a being of his size should, grabbing the cyborg by the neck, and slamming it into the ground. It kicked with both feet, hitting the X-Man in the gut, and surprisingly knocking him back. He tried to stand, but the cyborg was on him in an instant, pummeling him in the chest.

A speedster burst out of the smoke and raked Gambit across the chest with its claws. To the Cajun’s surprise, it sliced cleanly through his Kevlar chest plate, and opened three deep scratches.

“Tricks like that, they only work once on me,” he growled. He pulled a full hand of cards and zipped them one after another at the speedster. It dodged each, but Remy slammed his staff into its gut. It doubled over, and with a quick twirl, he brought the staff down on its head. A small kinetic charge exploded, and slammed the Reaver into the floor.

“Oh sure,” Victor said, “leave the rookie on his own.”

The final Reaver had elongated limbs, stretched even beyond Pierce’s. Anole dodged its first swing, grabbed its arm, and twisted. The cyborg stood firm, and swung at his back, spikes sprouting from its fist. It speared his right shoulder, and Anole cried out in pain. It twisted its fist and cackled in glee. Victor did his best to twist away, to escape, but in his frantic twisting, the Reaver grabbed his arm and twisted it with a vicious crack. The young X-Man screamed in pain.

Logan and Kurt spun at the sound of Anole’s scream.

“Go, help him!” Kurt said. “I have Pierce!”

Logan nodded and charged the Reaver with a roar. It spun, but too late, as Wolverine speared it in the back with all six claws. In pain, it dropped Anole to focus on its new attacker. He roared again and lifted it up, over his head, and then back down again in a body slam. He retracted his claws and held a hand out to Anole.

“You okay kid?” he asked.

“Been better, but I heal quick.”

“Good talent to have around us,” he chuckled.

Gambit backed away from the speedster a step, twisting his staff again to press his advantage, but it moved lightning fast, kicking him in the stomach and sending him sprawling. He grabbed another hand of cards and threw them one by one at the Reaver, but it dodged each, and this time slammed into him before he could take advantage of his staff. Remy’s head snapped back, and he felt a warm trickle of blood start to spread across his forehead. He grimaced and tried to scramble to his feet, but the Reaver was there again, knocking him back to the ground with a superspeed push. A figure flew through the air and tackled the speedster. Anole tumbled across the floor with it, and came out on top, punching it several times with his mutated arm until it collapsed.

“Thanks,” Gambit gasped.

“What are teammates for?”

Kitty charged her husband’s attacker with a cry. She tackled it, then phased, letting its momentum continue to carry it forward, while she was untangled from it and able to stop. As it stopped, she charged again, and this time kicked the Reaver across the face, snapping its head to the right violently. The serpent-like Reaver rushed towards them, but Piotr grabbed its tail as it slid past his prone form. He stood and yanked the cyborg back, then with a roar, lifted it off the ground, and slammed it back down in a violent arc, over and over again. He lifted it again, ready to repeat, when a cry stopped them all cold.

“No one move!” Pierce screamed. They spun to see him with Kurt in his hand, unconscious and breathing shallowly. “One twitch, and I kill a second X-Man today. I’ll snap your elf’s neck with a flick of my wrist!”

“I think not!”

There was a thunderclap, and a massive bolt of lightning struck Pierce in the chest. He flew through the air, dropping Nightcrawler and slamming into the far wall.

Storm hovered outside the window, her body sparking with microbolts of lightning.

“You were unsuccessful with Forge. And that was a mistake on your part. All you succeeded in was invoking my rage. Now you will feel the wrath of a Goddess.”

And the world was consumed in thunder and lightning.

=X=

“The Dallas team encountered an unexpected hurdle right after the Event.”

“How unexpected?”

“The X-Men are in the middle of a full-blown brawl with the Reavers in Eagle Plaza as we speak.”

“And Forge?”

“The assassination attempt was unsuccessful.”

“Where do we stand?”

“If the Dallas mission is successful, we stand a 30% better chance of success.”

“And what of the Australia mission?”

“No contact since just before the Event.”

“But if they are successful, our chances of success are raised another 23%.”

“Then we have to ensure both missions are successful.”

“No. We do not out ourselves. The mission is critical that we do not reveal ourselves until absolutely necessary. Everything we’ve worked for depends on it.”

 


	2. Chapter 2

The world burned around Kitty Pryde, a cacophony of heat, light, sound and electricity. Even in her phased form, usually a protection against physical harm, her ears were ringing from the thunder and she could feel the fine hair on her arms curling from the heat. She focused away from that however, and zeroed in on one thing.

Donald Pierce was reeling from the electrical shock of Storm’s first lightning bolt, even as the second, more vicious attack was coursing through his part-metal body. Kitty’s eyes narrowed as she charged him. Between Storm and herself, Pierce would be barely more than scrap in a few moments. He looked up at her as she reached him. She passed through him, his whole body wracked anew with agony. She grabbed his collar as she continued forward. She glanced back and saw her husband, Colossus, following behind, the lightning sparking off his body.

She grinned.

She phased through the wall in front of her, slamming the un-phased Pierce into it. The entire building shook as Colossus body slammed the Reaver behind her.

Her grin morphed into a laugh.

“Don’t screw with the X-Men,” she muttered.

Marvel Forever Presents

THE EXTRAORDINARY X-MEN 

“Scorned”

 

By Tony Thornley

 

The room grew quiet as the thunderstorm died down. The Reavers slumped to the floor, with Pierce himself still grasped in Piotr’s fist. Storm strode into the room, all quiet confidence. Logan smiled as he watched her. They had been winning, but she had turned it into a virtual slaughter.

Pierce was barely conscious. Colossus shook him into alertness. His eyes opened, and fear immediately was written across his face, but the rest of his body only twitched.

Storm walked up to Pierce, her body still sparking with static. Pierce began blinking rapidly, and his limbs twitched rapidly.

“Who sent you?” she growled.

“T-the Cult,” he muttered. “T-they said you’d be vegetables… Easy p-pickings.”

“What Cult?” Piotr asked, shaking him again.

“The C-cult of…” He sighed, and his eyes rolled back into his head. He was gone, completely unconscious. Piotr sighed and dropped him.

“Good work ‘Ro,” Logan growled. “But now we’re back up shit creek without a paddle.” He walked up to one of the Reavers and sniffed. The ozone left by the lightning storm was still strong, messing with his sense of smell. He grunted and leaned in closer. He sighed and stood.

“Logan?” Anole asked. Victor stood near him, clearly anxious. The adrenaline of the fight was wearing off, giving way to a feeling of “what next?” that made Logan anxious too.

“It’s no one I recognize,” he finally said. “Pierce has been recruiting. That could be bad.”

“Reinforcements bad?” Nightcrawler asked.

“Likely,” he said. “Ro, what’s our move?”

Storm assessed the room for a moment before taking a deep breath. She took a couple steps backwards, gathering herself and gaining the team’s attention.

“Whatever happened to us, it seems Pierce expected us to be easy pickings. That means this didn’t go the way they expected it to. Someone is targeting us, and considering the state of the X-Men that I can last remember, the fact that only nine of us stand here concerns me. Kitty, Victor, I need the two of you into Forge’s computers. See what you can find about the X-Men, and how much time we’re missing. Logan, Piotr, stand guard over Pierce. He or any of the Reavers stir, you yell. Jonothon, and… Eva, was it?” Eva nodded. “Jono, I want you to see if you can work with Eva to piece together our missing time as well. She seems to remember more than the rest of us do. Remy, Kurt, you’re with me.”

The group nodded or voiced their affirmations and began disperse. Logan walked up to Ororo. He took her hand and squeezed.

“You okay? Holdin’ it together?”

“I’ll be fine when we get more information,” she said, looking around at the damage. “We were clearly here for a reason. I’m going to find what we were searching for. Surely we communicated with Forge in advance, which means it’s likely that whatever tech he was working on for us is in one of his main labs.”

“You know that’s not what I mean.” She looked down, then into his eyes. She smiled mournfully.

“I’ll mourn Forge if he dies. I’ll care for him if he survives. But I won’t love him as I once did again. That phase of my life is past.”

“Trust me darlin’,” he said. “That never goes away. Be careful.” He released her hand. She patted his shoulder.

“You as well. Thank you Logan.”

“Any time.”

He watched her go. He still worried about her. He knew the feelings she had for Forge. He saw it on her face when they first woke up. He sighed and turned back to the others. There stood Kitty. She smiled a sad smile, stepped up to him and gave him a brief hug.

“Even covered in sweat and blood, you’re a big softy old man,” she said. He laughed, and hugged back. Then he paused. Something was new… different about her.

“Don’t call me soft Kat,” he laughed. “After you do yer job, let’s talk.” She pulled back and gave him a worried look. He grinned. “It’s all good. But let’s talk later.” She nodded and pulled away.

“Man, we’ll all damn touchy-feely today,” Chamber grumbled. “Come on gel, let’s find somewhere quiet.” Jono and Eva walked away, the young psion shaking his head.

Piotr laughed, and Logan glared at him. “Not a word Pete. Not a word.” He glanced back in the direction Kitty had walked. “Dammit I need to stab something.”

=X=

Storm walked into the main lab corridor. Every door off the corridor contained either a lab or a workroom. Whatever Forge was working on for them would be here.

“We each take a room,” she said. “Whatever we’re here for has to be here.”

“Easy enough,” Remy said. He reached up to his ear and pulled a small metal toothpick out. He winked at Nightcrawler. Kurt rolled his eyes.

“Thou shalt not steal Remy,” he said. “Just remember that.” He teleported away with a wink. Storm smiled and walked up to the door. It was locked with a numerical keypad. She considered gathering the static electricity to short it out, but paused. She reached out and entered four digits she was intimately familiar with.

The door beeped and opened.

Her heart ached in return.

“Dat was easy Stormy,” Gambit said. He leaned away from the lock he was attempting to pick. “What did you use?”

“It’s 1125,” she said quietly.

“1-1-2-5?”

“November twenty-fifth.” She looked at Gambit. “My birthday.”

His grin fell away as she stepped into the lab. He stood to try it when Storm gasped. He ran to her, grabbing his staff from his belt. When he reached the door himself, he gasped as well.

“Is that…?”

“Yes,” she said. The massive chunk of technology hummed in the middle of the lab. “It’s Celestial tech.”

“What. The. Hell.”

“Get Kurt in here,” she said. “I think I know what this is.”

=X=

Kitty sat back and watched Victor for a moment. The junior X-Man was unexpectedly one of the top students at the school, and she had enjoyed seeing him grow. But last she recalled, he had stayed in San Francisco with Scott’s division of X-Men. It made her increasingly curious about what had transpired in the last few months. She sat up, and the motion made her queasy. Victor glanced up.

“You okay?”

“Yeah,” she nodded. “Just morn-” She paused. What was she about to say? Oh hell. Her mind began racing to the look Logan had given her just a few minutes before. Victor raised an eyebrow.

“Dammit,” she whispered. “Sorry. I’m fine. What have you found?”

“Well, last thing we all remember is you and Mister Rasputin finally getting your crap together and getting married. Half of us were still in San Fran at the time, while the rest of you were at the school. So that’s where I started.”

“Okay…”

“So first I hit news sites. So we’re definitely sitting about three months after the wedding. At that point, the extinction team saw a membership change. Mister Rasputin stayed in New York with you, Storm moved into the school, and Mister Summers vanished. At that time, Havok and Polaris joined the extinction team, as did Rockslide and myself.”

“I’m following so far.”

“Perfect. Now at about this point, everyone’s social media ghosted. Those accounts that are still active stopped posting within about two weeks of the wedding. Most aren’t active at all. Facebook, Twitter, Insta, all of them. The last social media update from any X-Man is actually from you.” He turned back to the screen.

“Big news,” he read. “I’ll update everyone when I can, but I have big news to share.” She sighed, already having a feeling about what it was.

“Okay, so if everyone else deleted, I wonder why I didn’t. I’m the most tech savvy adult on the team. Weird.”

“Yeah, I thought the same. But anyways… Following the news, the extinction team pops up a few times, saving the day from a variety of threats. Grey Gargoyle, the Mutant Liberation Front, Sons of the Serpent, even some Venom knock-offs. The school doesn’t make a splash outside of a bar fight not far away. There’s a couple mug shots of Vance Astro and Mister Drake, alongside two townies.” Kitty winced at the sight of Bobby with a black eye. He didn’t take their breakup well. Apparently he continued to not take it well.

“Okay, so let’s fast forward.”

“I was just about to. So, Mister Logan and Mister Summers actually pop up in the news once in all of this time. They show up once in Madripoor after busting a human traffic ring. Pretty nasty stuff. Slavers, sex traders, all the worst of the worst. From there, we jump to this.”

He clicked and a haunting image appeared on the computer screen.

“Son of a bitch,” Kitty whispered.

The headline read GREYMALKIN INDUSTRIES DESTROYED, X-MEN VANISH.

Below the headline was a massive picture of a fiery bird-shaped energy field.

“Yup,” Victor said. “And then, nothing. That was about a month ago, and there is no trace of us since then. The world thinks we’re dead. Or as dead as superheroes get.”

“Is there anything about ANY of us for the last month?”

“Only three X-Men show up at all. Karma and Dazzler for joining the Avengers, and Forge himself. For every other notable member of the team, every other student, everyone… it’s a giant blank. It like whatever caused that Phoenix to appear over San Francisco drove us underground.” He paused. “Do you think it’s Rachel?”

“No,” she said. “Rachel hasn’t used a raptor like that in… a long time.” Fear began to fill her gut. “We need to show Storm.”

=X=

Jono sat still, his eyes closed. Eva sat next to him, in a similar state of meditation. He took deep breaths. He was once considered a massively powerful psionic, one of the most powerful on the planet. Then M-Day happened, and the gaping hole of psionic energy in his chest became just a gaping hole. His life had been a series of awful things from that point, until he found his powers restored. However, the time since then was mostly a blank. That meant he was no longer as practiced as he once had been with his psychic abilities.

“Hang on gel,” he said. “This isn’t going to be as easy as it could be.”

With that, they connected. It was intense, and intimate. She was an open book to him, but he was to her as well.

She saw Edinburgh. She saw Gayle and guitars and first love. She felt the pain he felt every time a little bit of his self was blasted away by bio-nuclear fire. She saw his relationship with Paige. How it fell apart. How one part of himself still loved her, and always would.

He saw her childhood in and around Brisbane. He saw her parents. He saw her friends, nights out, romances. He saw the horrifying first time her powers manifested. Then it was a blur.

He saw glimpses of various X-Men, including himself. He saw Graymalkin Industries, the School, training, fighting… and then a face he never expected to see again a moment before he felt intense psychic pain. And then they were here.

Jono gasped and opened his eyes.

“Holy shit,” he muttered.

“What?” she said, looking at him a bit sad.

“Jean. I saw Jean.”

=X=

Everyone was a mess of excited chatter a few moments later, except Logan and Piotr. The two looked back and forth until Wolverine finally had enough.

“Alright alright, SHUT UP!” he roared. “One sentence each. Go.” He pointed at Kitty.

“The X-Men vanished after a Phoenix raptor manifested in San Francisco,” she said.

“Chamber,” he said pointing.

“Jean Grey, alive and well, probably saved us from something much worse than a mindwipe.”

“Holy shit, we’re coming back to that,” Logan growled. “‘Ro?”

“Forge was working on a project for us,” she said. “We apparently stole a Celestial resurrection coffin and had him dissecting it.”

“And that leads us to…?”

“Two things,” Storm said, sighing. “One- at some point in the recent past, Jean Grey returned from the dead, helped us fight off some sort of attack in San Francisco and saved our collective lives in the last few hours.”

“Fair does.”

“Two.” She took a deep breath. “One of our enemies is using Celestial technology to somehow bring someone back from the dead. And I think we know exactly who that someone likely is.”

“Son of a bitch,” Logan growled.

“Wait, who?” Eva asked.

Kitty reached down and took Piotr’s hand. Remy looked down into his hands, quickly shuffling a deck over and over. Kurt was the veteran to finally speak up.

“One of our deadliest enemies is irrevocably tied to Celestial technology, a being ancient and evil. One we all fear.”

“His name’s Apocalypse,” Logan growled. “Someone is trying to bring back Apocalypse.”

The statement hung over the group for several beats before anyone spoke up.

“We need to get back to the school,” Kitty said. “We need to find the other X-Men. Find out if anyone else was affected like us.”

“And the Reavers?”

“Nick Fury was happy to send a retrieval team,” Logan said. “He might have been happier to hear that we’re still alive. Apparently when we dropped off the map, we dropped off even SHIELD’s radar.”

“So we babysit until SHIELD arrives,” Kitty said. “Then we head back to the school.”

“Agreed,” Storm said. “When I arrived back, I saw the Blackbird on the roof. We have transport.”

“What about Forge?” Colossus asked.

“Fury will monitor his condition too,” Logan said. “And we can come back and check on him after we go home.”

“Agreed,” Storm said. Pain was clearly written across her face, but she had to be pragmatic.

“And if we don’t like what we find?” Victor asked.

“Then we find whoever attacked us,” Logan said. He raised his arm and popped his claws. “We return it in kind.”

=X=

“Pierce has failed.”

He sighed deeply. He should have expected it. He had hired Donald Pierce to complete a cake walk. He was supposed to slaughter a group of nearly braindead X-Men. Naturally something had thwarted it. He needed to come to expect that with them.

“Is he still alive?”

“Yes, but SHIELD has arrived to take him into custody. Eliminating him from this point will be problematic.”

“We will formulate a plan to do so regardless. His mind needs to be erased. He should live as a vegetable from this point forward.”

“You underestimate me, my child,” she said. “And in doing so, you insult me.”

“Don’t mock me Goblyn Queen,” he growled, and pounded his fist to his table. Madelyn Pryor winced at his tone and the rage she felt radiating from him. He sighed.

“Whatever mother,” he said. “Proceed with whatever you have planned. And make sure he doesn’t have a trace left in his mind of you, myself, or the Cult of Akkaba.”

She smiled, her blood red lips curling cruelly. “Of course Stryfe. It will be a matter of simplicity.”

=X=

NEXT: You can never go home again.


	3. Extraordinary X-Men #3- Coming Home By Tony Thornley – Marvel Forever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The X-Men return home after their ordeal in Dallas. They may not like what they find...

Near Breakstone Lake outside of Salem Center, New York, stood a centuries old estate. It began as a homestead owned by the Graymalkin family, a hardworking clan of farmers who became some of the most revered families in New England. Along the way, after one generation failed to have any male heirs, the Graymalkins married into Xavier family, a family with a history and pedigree that stretched back to the Revolutionary War. It wasn’t long after that the family built the home known today as the Xavier Manor.

After the Second World War, Brian Xavier moved into the family home with his wife Sharon and son Charles. A short time later, Brian was killed in a tragic accident, and some years after that Sharon remarried, and after her death Charles inherited the estate.

A mutant psychic of considerable power and skill, Charles turned his talents and fortune to helping others like him. After spending years on globe-trotting travels, meeting allies, enemies and lovers, he returned home with a dream of peaceful coexistence between baseline humans and their superpowered mutant children. To that end, he transformed his estate into an exclusive boarding school, the Xavier Institute for Gifted Children.

With the help of his students, who would go on to become the mutant heroes known as the X-Men, Xavier developed the estate into a technological marvel, a combination of alien technology and bleeding edge Terrestrial equipment. Eventually it was renamed the Jean Grey School for Gifted Youth, in honor of the group’s greatest loss. To Charles and the children he taught, it became many things. A sanctuary. A place of learning. A refuge. A family.

Home.

That was what a group of nine X-Men expected to find as their borrowed aircraft descended on the estate.

Instead, they found a building inhabited only by ghosts.

Marvel Forever Presents

“Coming Home”

By Tony Thornley

As the sun set behind him, Piotr Rasputin quietly nudged the rubble that was once the front entry to the mansion with his foot. From what he could see, the rest of the building and its various outbuildings were mostly intact, but a part of him feared what they’d find inside. Kurt Wagner walked up to his side and crouched next to him.

“Scorch marks,” he said. “Whatever happened here was intentional.”

“They came for us,” Logan growled as he joined them. “They came for us, we brawled, and we left the school.” He sniffed the air.

“Logan?” Piotr said. “Can you…”

“Smell somethin’?” He shook his head. “No. It’s been a while. But it’s obvious when you’ve been at it as long as us.” He sighed, then stepped across the threshold. He walked several steps and glanced back at them.

“Come on,” he growled. “Let’s get this over with.”

=X=

Ororo Munroe stood at the statue of Jean Grey that stood in the middle of the courtyard. She sighed. Her longtime friend would have loved what they’d built in her name here.

“I’m sorry Jean,” she said. “I’m so very sorry.” She felt a soft hand on her shoulder. She reached up and patted the hand.

“Stop it,” Kitty said softly. “She’d be proud. And remember what Chamber said. It looks like she’s back. Somewhere.”

“Thank you Kitty,” she said. “I need that.” The two of them stood in silence for a few minutes. Finally Kitty sighed, and Storm heard a soft sob. She turned and wrapped her in her arms wordlessly. The girl- woman- was almost like a daughter to her. She would always care for her deeply.

“Shhhh,” she hushed. “We have handled worse. It will be okay.”

“I’m pregnant,” she whispered. “Logan suggested it back in Dallas, and when I disappeared for a while, I went and took a test. Best guess, I’m about two months along.” Ororo pushed her back, her face beaming.

“Then we will have to celebrate,” she said. “This is excellent news Kitty. Beyond excellent news.”

“You’re not mad?” she asked. “For endangering myself? The baby?”

“Well, we may have to pull you from the most active of missions, but why would I be angry? Let us just pray that the infant is healthy and happy.”

Kitty chuckled. “Thank you.”

“Ororo, Kat,” Logan’s voice said from their communicators. “Come on inside. You gotta see this.”

=X=

The team stood in the common area of the boys’ dorm. The room was a mixture of discarded clothing, broken personal effects, and, perhaps most chillingly, blood. Both Logan and Anole were stalking around the room, sniffing the air. Nightcrawler was muttering a prayer in German, while the rest of the group was silent.

“It’s more than one person,” Victor said, finally. “Small amounts. A few kids attacked, then rescued?”

“Exactly,” Logan said. “Then one source of a pretty big beating.” He looked at them. “Me. Whoever it was, I stepped in, and we gutted each other.”

“Any guesses who it was?” Storm asked.

Logan sighed, looked down the hallway, then back. “Hank.” He took another deep breath. “It reeks of Hank’s fur, but it’s off too. Like something… screwed with him. Something dark.” He sniffed the air. “It stinks of… Limbo.”

“Damn,” Gambit said. “First Poccy, then Limbo? What have we stepped back into?”

“Back?” Piotr said. “We’ve been in it all along.” The group nodded collectively. Before they could speak up, the building shook.

“Dammit,” Logan growled. “What the hell was that?”

“No idea,” Storm said. “We split up. Logan, Victor, Eva, scout the grounds. Peter, Kat, the underground facilities. Chamber, Kurt, take the out-buildings. Remy and myself will scout the main building. Stay in contact.”

“Da,” Kurt said. He took Chamber by the arm. “Hold on.” They teleported away, and the remainder of the group split up quickly.

=X=

Logan did his best to screen out the scents of the two teenagers following him closely. It was hard enough with what was being carried on the wind. The two were scared and that was throwing everything off. He stopped, closed his eyes, took a deep breath and centered himself. He reopened his eyes and took another deep breath.

The faint scent of cheap beer carried on the wind from Harry’s.

A family of racoons in the tree nearest the fenceline.

The sterile scent of the Shi’Ar tech just beneath their feet.

And brimstone. Again, brimstone.

“They’re close,” he growled. “They’re here. Dammit, they’re here.”

*snikt*

His claws glistened in the moonlight as he spun. He could feel the difference in the kids’ reactions. Anole was anxious, with a burst of adrenaline fueling a flight or fight response. From the sound of his shifting feet, he clearly wanted to fight. Eva was beginning to flicker. Her powers were faintly causing her scent to… flutter was the only word he could think of.

“Where are they?” Victor whispered.

“Close, but not on us. They’re after… Dammit! They’re headed for the others.”

He slapped the communicator on his chest. It blasted static. He slapped it again. Static again. He began to growl.

“Come on kids,” he growled. “MOVE!” He broke into a run towards the out-building he’d last smelled Kurt’s sulfur. A fresh burst of sulfur suddenly burst in the air, then the smell of ozone. Combat, Kurt and Jono’s powers both in use.

Logan slammed into the door, shattering it into pieces. He heard the leathery flap of bat wings a split second before he was slammed backwards. A blue-skinned, bat-winged mutant hissed at him just before it’s wings impaled him. Kurt and Jono were both unconscious in front of him. In the pain, his vision began to blur, but he knew exactly who was standing before him.

“Warren?” he roared. “What the hell?” Anole burst past him, but Warren’s free wing slapped him away.

“Don’t be a fool Logan,” Warren hissed. “You know what this is.” Eva ran up to them, but stopped in shock. Warren hissed again, scooped up the two unconscious X-Men and flapped away through the shattered wall behind him.

“EVA!” Logan grunted as he slid to the floor. “I need you. Check Victor, kiddo.”

“You’re hurt,” she said, snapping out of her shock and starting towards him.

“Healing factor’s got it,” he growled. “CHECK. VICTOR.”

She rushed over to him. He was breathing, and Logan could see his eyes open. He was dazed, but probably not concussed. He had a healing factor of his own to compensate though. He winced. Whatever Warren had speared him with had some sort of toxin. His healing factor was dealing with it, but it wasn’t easy.

“What was wrong with Mister Worthington?” Eva asked as she helped Victor sit up.

“Wasn’t Warren,” Logan gasped. Breathing was difficult, but again, a few minutes and he’d be through it. “Can’t be. He’s not…” He gasped. “He’s not like that. That wasn’t him.” He wasn’t certain himself, but he couldn’t let her confidence get shaken.

“Where did he take them?” she asked. He grunted and sat up. It was hurting less and less to breathe, but each breath still was like fire.

“Smells like the main building,” he said. “He wants us to follow them.”

“So what do we do?”

“We oblige,” he growled, holding up his still-extended claws. Suddenly a new wave of fire erupted in his chest and he collapsed.

“After your healing factor takes care of that?”

“After my healing factor takes care of that.”

=X=

Ororo awoke with a pounding headache. Shortly after the team split up, she’d be blindsided. She rolled and saw Kitty next to her, and Remy just beyond. They had been ambushed. She tried to sit up but found herself completely unable to do so.

“Don’t fight it,” a voice said. A voice she knew too well. “Between myself and my dear son, the six of you are incapacitated.”

“Madelyn,” Ororo growled. The Goblyn Queen crouched into her field of vision and waggled her fingers at her.

“Hello Storm,” she said. “Been a while.” She took a deep breath in. “Oh Katherine… that’s an… unexpected development.”

“Leave her alone!” Piotr bellowed from behind her.

“I’d be careful if I were you Rasputin,” she said. “We’re making sure you stay flesh and blood…” She stepped over to him, and Ororo heard a grisly crunch behind her. He screamed in pain. “…and you wouldn’t want this to happen more than once…”

“Son?” Ororo said, realization suddenly dawning on her. “You working with HIM.”

She was jerked to her feet telekinetically, along with the others. She glanced around. Kurt and Jono were with them as well… but no Logan, Anole or Eva. She suppressed her relief.

“Indeed, she is,” the latest voice said. A tall man wearing the robes of the Askani over bladed armor walked out of the shadows. Ororo’s face curled into a snarl as she saw him.

“Stryfe.”

“Of course, and we are not alone,” he said. He raised his arms, and three familiar figures walked from the shadows- Iceman, Angel and Beast. Each of them were instantly recognizable, but each had been… transformed. Warped and twisted. This close, she could smell the brimstone. Limbo.

“To me, my X-Men,” Stryfe mocked.

=X=

Logan sat as still as he could, watching the scene just inside the ruined foyer of the school. He could hear Stryfe’s voice, smell Limbo on them… and something else. The ozone stench of Celestial tech. These were the ones that had set the Reavers on them in Dallas. They were connected to Apocalypse, and he wanted to know how.

“This is very very bad,” Victor whispered next to him. Logan nodded and waved him backwards. The two retreated to when Eva stayed, a safe distance away.

“So what’s the plan?”

“Goblyn Queen has Bobby, Hank and Warren in her thrall,” he said. “Combined with Stryfe, we’re outnumbered, badly.”

A portal suddenly appeared in the ground, an energy signature Logan knew. The circle rose to hip height, and six figures suddenly appeared in the light. It quickly vanished, leaving a slight whiff of brimstone. Magik stepped forward from her team, hefting the Soulsword onto her shoulder. Behind her stood Boom Boom, Madrox, Siryn, Rictor and Shatterstar. Illyana smiled.

“You are hard to find,” she said. “But Jean said you would appreciate the help.”

Logan grinned. “You bet your ass kiddo.”

=X=

Next: The Cult revealed!

 


	4. Extraordinary X-Men #4- “The Cult” – Marvel Forever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The X-Men face the Cult of Akkabba and its terrifying leaders!

 

 

 

Wolverine stood with his hands on his hips, regarding the six newly arrived mutants standing in front of him. Magik echoed his stance, while her team were in various stages of preparation.

“I have lots of questions,” he said. “But they’re all gonna haveta wait.”

“As long as the Cult has your team, yes, they will.”

“This it?” he asked. “Not to be ungrateful.”

“We will be sufficient Logan,” Shatterstar said. “I assure you of that.”

“Not doubting that ‘Star,” he said. “Just making sure.” He glanced at the remainder of his team- Anole and Tempus. He lowered his voice.

“What the hell is going on?” he asked quietly.

“Stryfe and the Goblyn Queen have joined forces with the Cult of Akabba,” Siryn said softly. “They’ve driven our forces into hiding and their next goal is to resurrect Apocalypse. Pryor attacked us with Cerebro and was partially able to disable our efforts. Only those in our headquarters were able to escape unscathed.”

“Good enough until we get through the other end of this,” he said.

*SNIKT*

“Alright team!” he barked. “Listen up. I got a plan…”

**#4**

**“The Cult”**

****

Stryfe and the Goblyn Queen stood flanked by their X-Men- Iceman, Beast and Angel, all warped by Madelyn’s magic. In the deepening shadows, there were others gathered. Floating in the telekinetic bubble of Stryfe’s making, Ororo supposed they were the Cult of Akabba. But why?

Stryfe had no love for the followers of En Sabbah Nur. He openly despised Apocalypse, given the despot’s intended fate for him. As for Pryor, though she was technically his mother, they had never interacted to her knowledge. The whole situation was a definition of the old adage of strange bedfellows, and she was at a loss.

He walked up to her, took her chin in his hand and smiled. She tried to pull away, but his psychic hold still remained. She grimaced, and his grin grew wider.

“It’s all about power,” he hissed, drawing his face close to hers. “There is a conflict coming, one that will consume all of time. I merely want to be on the winning side.” He took a step back and motioned to Madelyn. “As does Mother. Or whatever passes for Mother now.”

“Stryfe, my dear,” Madelyn said, “being a being of pure Goblyn Force does not make me less of a being…”

“That’s not creepy at all,” a psychic voice echoed in their heads.

“Oh, the psion awakens!” Stryfe exclaimed. He let go of Storm and practically danced to Chamber. He cocked his head as he looked at the young man. “I have wanted to get my hands on you for so very long young Master Starsmore. The most powerful psionic on the planet whose last name ISN’T Grey. Or Quire, I guess. A shell of bionuclear fire and untapped potential.” He held up his fists dramatically. “Oh what you could have been if it wasn’t for Weapon X and M-Day! And Frost. Damn that woman, holding you back. If I had just gotten to you for the Mutant Liberation Front first.”

“I woulda said no, wanker,” Jono grunted.

Stryfe’s sneer twisted into a scowl. “No matter, your time is up anyways.”

“So what do you intend to do with us?” Kitty said. “Passive aggressive us to death?”

“Ah Miss Pryde,” he said. “I don’t believe we’ve ever been formally introduced.” He clenched his fist, and she began choking for air. He drew close to her. “Were it not for your… delicate condition, I would not release my grip.” He opened his fist and Kitty took several deep, gasping breaths.

“Hey bub,” a voice said. “Let’s see you try that with someone your own size.”

*SNIKT*

Stryfe and Goblyn Queen spun to the door. Logan stood in silhouette, a soft growl rumbling in his throat. He took several steps inside. Storm felt the grip on her chest loosen, and something in her mind relax. She hadn’t even realized Stryfe was blocking her access to her powers. Now she could feel the air around her, the subtle shifts in atmosphere and moisture. She couldn’t do much with it.

She grinned.

But she could do enough.

“The great hunter,” Stryfe said. “The Wolverine. Welcome home. It’s good to see you again. It’s been months.”

“You’re the one who sicced Hank on me,” he growled. “The void of scent that I thought I saw.”

“That would be me,” Pryor said.

“Nah,” Logan said. “You smell like hell. Like Limbo.” He smirked. “You know what Limbo smells like? Farts.”

Stryfe bellowed and threw his arm out. He grabbed Logan telekinetically and yanked him off his feet. He held him inches from his face.

“You will treat Mother with more respect you insignificant dog!” he screamed. Logan began laughing.

“Now.”

A shining disk appeared directly behind Stryfe, and eight X-Men materialized from inside. Shatterstar moved first, running Stryfe through the shoulder. He yanked his sword back, and adopted a fighting stance.

“Hello,” he said with a smirk. The terrorist dropped to the ground.

In unison, Siryn and Rictor blasted the trio of enthralled X-Men, knocking them away. Multiple Man split into duplicates as the Cult began flooding into the foyer, holding the waves of cultists back. Magik spun to Pryor, her Soul Sword gleaming. The Goblyn Queen sneered, holding out her own hand, a blade of fire with a hilt of brimstone appearing inside.

“Little girl,” she hissed, “I have been looking forward to this day.”

“Not as much as I,” Illyana said.

Stryfe began to crawl away, his face contorted in pain, but Boom Boom crouched next to him.

“No no no asswipe,” she said. “You’re not getting out of this THAT easy.” She dropped one of her bombs next to him, holding up three fingers, dropping each one until-

*BOOM*

The explosion knocked Stryfe across the foyer, leaving him crumpled in a heap. The X-Men suddenly dropped to the floor, fully released from Stryfe’s hold. Storm landed in a crouch, then pulled herself to her full height. She smiled as her eyes went completely white. The static electricity in the room rose like a crackling wave.

Stryfe pushed himself up from where he landed, and turned to them. His eyes widened in terror.

“Nice armor,” she quipped. “It makes the perfect lightning rod.”

The room was filled with the deafening roar of thunder as lightning struck Stryfe.

Pryor’s eyes darted around the room. They were beaten. She knew they were. It was one battle, they were outclassed and taken completely unawares. She scowled. It was done. There were other battles to be fought. Her eyes went back to Illyana.

“And it will have to wait another day,” she growled. She threw up her arms, and the Goblyn Force filled the room, enveloping and teleporting away Stryfe, her X-Men and the Cultists.

And like that, it was all over.

“So,” Rictor said. “Did we just win?”

=X=

**Three hours later**

**Anchorage, Alaska**

Storm and Logan stood next to each other in the massive hangar bay. The Blackbird sat in front of them, scorched and battered. Colossus ran his fingers along one crack, thoughtfully. Kitty clutched his hand.

“Ororo,” a voice said, “thank goodness you’re all fine.” They spun to see Cyclops approaching them, his arms outstretched. But the figure next to them is what made the X-Men’s hearts jump.

“Jeannie,” Logan whispered. He broke into a run, and scooped up his friend, embracing her tightly. Jean Grey laughed and returned the embrace.

“Glad to see you too old man,” she said.

“Oh we missed you,” Ororo said, joining the hug. Scott stood by and smiled. His wife had told him what they’d gone through. They deserved this moment.

The others trickled towards them, each giving their own warm greeting, until it all settled enough to the group to talk.

“So what the hell is happening?” Logan growled.

“The X-Men have been shattered,” Scott said.

“Around twenty of us were here when Stryfe and Madelyn seized Cerebro,” Jean said. “The rest were scattered across the globe. You were in Dallas to get a status report from Forge on the Celestial Coffin, for example. Rogue’s team is still in Australia, and out of communication.”

Scott continued. “We’ve been attempting to deal with the chaos in the past forty eight hours from here at Hangar X, and when you returned to the mansion we had to act.”

“So how were you protected?” Piotr asked.

“The Phoenix,” Kitty said before Jean could answer.

Jean shook her head. “Actually, no,” she said. “The whatever brought me back has completely severed my connection to the Phoenix.”

“Then what?” Kurt asked.

“A story for another time,” she said. “Now we discuss what’s next.”

“They have Hank, Bobby and Warren,” Piotr said. “We must-”

“Actually,” another voice said, “that may not be the case.” Hank, Bobby and Warren emerged from a freight elevator in the corner of the facility.

“Wait, how-?”

“We don’t know yet,” Warren said. “A mystery among many others.”

“So what’s next?” Ororo said.

“Next, we find the rest of the X-Men,” Jean said. “Make sure they’re okay, gather them back here.”

“And then,” Scott said, “we go to war.”

=X=

Madelyn paced angrily back and forth in their chamber, her minions watching nearby. Stryfe stood over his computer, glaring at the blank screen.

“I warned you Christopher,” she growled. “I told you we should have left, it was just a matter of time, and we were soundly defeated. It wasn’t even by those we expected!”

“I KNOW!” Stryfe screamed, punching the screen. “Mother, I know!”

“Your arrogance set us back weeks,” she said. “I can guarantee the X-Men have cleaned out the mansion, including Cerebro!”

“No matter,” he said. “We have other resources that can take its place.”

“Indeed,” she said. “But your _unborn child_ will not be enough…”

 


	5. Dreams Of A White Hot Room

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She once held the forces of life itself. Now she holds another power entirely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (This is a part of the ongoing X-Men series within the Marvel Forever Shared AU. For more from Marvel Forever, check out marvelforever.wordpress.com)

Jean Grey glanced at the hangar behind her that had become their impromptu home. Hank worked each day to make it more and more like home, using Shi’Ar tech salvaged from the mansion and Greymalkin Industries, but he didn’t need to. They were together, especially now that they’d found Logan and Ororo’s team. That meant they were home.

No one was watching. She suspected everyone was asleep. Her telekinetic powers flared, manifesting in a halo of pink fire, and her feet lifted from the ground.  Within moments, she was airborne.

She lifted herself high above Hangar X, high above Alaska, and took in the view as she stopped just at the point that she could see the curvature of the Earth. It was here she smiled, took in a deep breath and thought back to the first time she cheated death.

 

Marvel Forever Presents

The Extraordinary X-Men

“Dreams of A White Hot Room”

By Tony Thornley

 

Scott stood and watched as Jean disappeared into the distance. He had the same pang of guilt that had filled his gut years before. The first time, he and Maddie had drifted apart, and Jean’s return had cemented that.  This time, Emma had vanished. He still ached for her, still missed her presence at his side, but it was a wound that soon healed and faded. The pain was still there, but it hurt less each day.

“She’s really something, isn’t she Slim?” the voice said behind him.

“Logan,” he sighed. “I’m glad to see you.”

“Don’t,” Wolverine growled, joining him.  “I understand you an’ I fixed most of our shit in recent days.”  He sipped the beer he held in his hand, winced. Too bitter for his liking. “You forget that I don’t remember most of that though.”

“No, we didn’t fix anything really,” he said.  “Mostly, we just agreed that we had common goals and decided to put the shit aside until we could talk.”

“Sounds like us,” Logan grunted.  It turned into a chuckle, and Scott echoed the sound.

They stood in silence, watching Jean until she was a pink star in a sea of them. “What’s it been like having her back?”

“It hurts,” he said.  “We drifted apart in those last days just like I did with Maddie.  I hurt her. She was angry with me. Doesn’t mean we don’t still love each other, but given the time… we need to figure out if there’s even an us any more.”

“There will always be an ‘us’ between the two o’ you,” Logan said, patting Scott’s shoulder. “What you need to figure out is what it means.”

The two stood there, watching the sky until Logan burped.

“Sorry, had to break the silence somehow.”

Scott scoffed.  “It’s good to have you back Logan.”

“You too Slim,” he said.  He stepped back and took another swig of beer.  “Now how about we put this insomnia to good use and you fill me in on where we’re at.”

 

=X=

It took her a few moments to tune out everything before she was completely alone with her thoughts.

There was a massive thunderstorm off the Atlantic seaboard that was endangering a few early morning fishing vessels. Thor was already there, using her unique bond with Mjolnir to calm the winds and the waves before Captain Marvel scooped up the boats.

A cargo ship between Brazil and Nigeria was filled with AIM troopers and dangerous scientific equipment. King T’Challa and Steve Rogers were aboard, both in more “black ops” style garb, rather than their costumed identities.  They had already seized control of the vessel. It would take AIM some time before they’d discover the ship was lost to them..

And so it was over and over until she turned her thoughts away.  Yet, there was still one group of heroes she couldn’t find- Havok’s X-Men, who vanished somewhere in the Amazon.  She prayed her comrades were safe.

Now, all to herself, she opened her eyes and looked to the stars.

Once she had flown among them. Or at least the being that had been a part of her for most of her life had. She had been in a cocoon at the bottom of the ocean, but there was still a connection, a sense of memory.

She smiled at the remembered sensation- flying unhindered and exhilarated.  It wasn’t the power that thrilled her. It was the freedom.

The shared memories of the Phoenix Force- some from the time it was impersonating her, others from the times they reunited- weren’t pleasant, but the freedom, that she would never forget.

But then she had returned- out of the cocoon, out of the bay, and with her friends again. It had been such whiplash though. She’d lost so much time, and swung from near death, to near oblivion, to X-Factor.

If it hadn’t been for Scott, Hank and Bobby, she wouldn’t have made it through. Warren though… to see him go through so much pain so much trauma, and be unable to help like she wanted. She had to face her own trauma, and at the same time, she was the team’s rock.  None of them fully understood it, but they empathized, and they loved her. In the same breath, they relied on her, and expected her to be everything for them. It was so hard, but she wouldn’t have changed a moment of it.

Without them though, she wouldn’t have evolved into the person, the hero, that she was. Without X-Factor, she couldn’t have helped lead the X-Men through the Legacy Virus crisis, raised Nathan, or battled all the different threats that she’d faced head on. She wouldn’t have been able to deal with Scott’s death, or later the battle with Apocalypse for his life.  She wouldn’t have been able to face her own death.

She took in a deep breath. Death had been another sort of freedom. The moment it had ended, she found herself everywhere and nowhere. Others who had held the Phoenix Force called it the White Hot Room.

She was at peace and something tore her out of it. Something drew her away.

When she awoke, she thought it was the Phoenix Force again.

She thought it had needed her again.  And then she noticed it.

There in her palm, a blue gem glowed.

The Mind Gem.

One part of her longed for the peace and tranquility of the White Hot Room again.

But the rest of her loved the freedom.

That scared her though. What brought her back and why?

And were there others?

 

=X=

 

She landed, her bare toes instantly chilled by the cement.  She hadn’t noticed her shoes slip off in her flight, but she would look for them in the morning.  She took a deep breath, and smiled. The fire that had surrounded her dimmed and went out, as she walked back into the Hangar.

She felt two minds still awake inside. She smiled as she recognized them.  They didn’t hear her as she walked through the corridors of the small facility. She paused as she reached the war room and watched Scott and Logan, deep in conversation.

The two were like brothers, though they’d never admit it.  She smirked. Maybe someday.

“Boys,” she whispered.  Both of them jumped slightly and turned to her.  “Time for bed. We can talk shop in the morning.”

“Fair enough,” Logan said.  He stood, patted Scott’s shoulder. He walked out of the room, lingering for a second at Jean’s side. She reached down, gave his hand a single squeeze, and nodded.  He grinned and walked away.

Scott stood and walked to her. Their rapport wasn’t as strong as it once was, but it was still there. She felt the anxiety, the school boy nerves, radiating off him. He drew close, but kept his hands behind his back.

“Jean, can we…?”

She leaned forward, gave him a brief kiss on the lips and drew away.

“Not tonight,” she said. “But soon. We both need our rest.”

Scott’s face twisted in a half grin, and he nodded.

“I look forward to it.”  

She nodded, turned and started to walk to her room.  “Me too Slim.”

 


	6. Hightown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wolverine leads a small group to investigate Madelyn Pryor's resurrection

He pulled the black mask low over his face, covering all but his mouth.  He looked at his companions and nodded. He pulled the window open and looked down.  He could see the glow of the Princess Bar’s neon just around the corner, giving them just enough light to get an all-clear, but not so much they would be exposed.  He climbed to the window sill, and jumped. He grabbed the fire escape and scrambled up it. He quickly climbed the pair of ladders to the roof.

There his companions waited for him, both smirking.  He shook his head, walking to the edge of the roof, where he could see much of Madripoor.

“The two of you are just show-offs,” Logan growled.

Magik and Gambit both just grinned in response.

“Where we headed?” Remy asked.

“Hightown,” he growled.  “My source says we should be able to get intel there.”

 

MARVEL FOREVER PRESENTS…

**“** Hightown”

By Tony Thornley

=X=

24 hours earlier…

“We’re still trying to regroup after Pryor’s attack,” Jean said as she stood over the war room’s table.  Wolverine leaned back in his chair, while the others leaned forward. He locked eyes with Jean for a moment, and she resisted a smile.

“How many are we missing?”  Ororo asked.

“Three squads,” she said.  “One of nine led by Rogue in the old Australian facility.  A large enclave of students, with Charles and Erik, in the Savage Land.  And Alex’s team of eight in the Amazon. We had heard from Rogue and Charles both shortly before the wave, but Alex hadn’t checked in for about twenty-four hours before.”

“Don’t forget the time travellers,” Scott said.  “They were aboard Ship in low-Earth orbit. But they’ve been in and out of contact while doing their work anyways.”

“And others outside that?” Kurt asked.

“They've been in contact,” Scott said. “Your team was hit hardest by the attack. The others are mostly confused and disoriented but not missing a significant chunk of time. Madelyn hit you first and hit you hard. It gave Jean time to erect defenses for everyone else.”

“So what's the plan?” Logan asked.

Jean leaned forward, resting her palms on the table. “Your mission gave us enough intel. We act on it. We go public. Show the Cult that we're not going to be cowed into submission.”

“But we have two items first,” Hank interjected. “The Australian team and the Madripoor operation. One our people, one theirs. We bring Rogue’s team in, and we figure out what they're doing in Madripoor.”

“Give me two people and I'll take care of the latter,” Logan said.

“You have two in mind?” Jean asked.

“Yana and the Cajun,” he said.

“They're clear for the next twenty-four hours,” Scott said. “I'm good with it.”

“Works for me,” Jean said. “I'll brief you after we're done here…”

=x=

Gambit panted heavily as he retracted his bo staff.  Magik simply glared at him, as she pulled a kerchief from a pouch on her hip to wipe blood from her face.  Around them a crowd of gangsters were unconscious, while club-goers huddled in small terrified groups. The club was a newer addition to the Hightown scene, a destination for young people to let loose, but also a stream of access for various types of organized crime, from drugs to girls to guns.

Logan held their target, a young man known only as Akifumi, by the collar.  He was barely an adult and was trying to keep cool. His eyes were full of terror though.

“I hear nothing gets in and out of the island without you knowing nowadays,” Logan growled.

“Whether it’s protection, facilities or logistics,” he said, “I know everything. Patch.” Logan raised an eyebrow, but it was a dumb move. He was a distant cousin of the Yoshidas from what he understood. He’d fled Japan after a handful of jobs went lethally bad, drawing the attention and ire of not just SHIELD but also Hydra. He didn’t know the details but Logan’s source had told him the Hand was the only thing keeping him alive in Madripoor. The kid was smart but lacked common sense.

“Stryfe,” he said. “Pryor. Where are they?”

The facade of cool melted into fear.

“They’ll kill me,” he said.

“A lot of people want to kill you,” Logan said. “I have no problem dropping you into their hands. Trust me, Stryfe isn’t near as creative as the Red Skull. Stryfe will lose patience in about two minutes. Red Skull makes it last.” He pointed at Illyana. “And trust me, she can make that happen. Half-demon teleporter. Just about as mean as I am.”

“Da,” she said with a nod, spinning her soulsword.

“The old Jade and Pearl Club,” he said. “They closed a year ago, left that huge space behind.  Met every requirement they had for what they needed.”

“Perfect.  Kiddo?”

Illyana held her arm out, and a glowing disc appeared.

“Wait!” he cried. “I gave you what you want!”

“You did, but you’re still a wanted man,” he growled. “This leads straight to a SHIELD holding cell.”  He picked him up and threw him into the disc. It disappeared and Logan looked around and grunted.

“Dat’s the whole show folks,” Gambit said. “Go home. Call your mom.”

=X=

Storm sat alone in the kitchen of the Hangar complex. She was impressed by what the team had done in so short a time. From what Jean had said, Hank had taken advantage of a Shi’Ar fabricator to create the headquarters on property already owned by Christopher Summers. It was always a bit of a shock to see the Shi’Ar tech in use.

Suddenly, she felt a pair of warm arms grasp her shoulders and hug her tight.

“Oh I missed you,” Jean whispered in her ear.  She pulled back and Ororo turned, a wide smile on her face.

“I had assumed we had reconnected in the time I was missing,” she said, embracing Jean. “I did not want to make it awkward again.”

“You wouldn’t, even if we had,” she said. “We barely had time for hellos before you left for Eagle Plaza. I’m so glad you’re here and okay.”

They let go of one another. Jean grasped Ororo’s hands.

“It never ceases to amaze me how much more beautiful you become as you age,” she said.

Ororo laughed. “And you look like you’re twenty again.”

“I very well may be,” Jean said. “I still don’t know exactly what happened to bring me back…. But it wasn’t the Phoenix.” Ororo noticed her rubbing her left palm with the index and middle finger of her right hand. It was a tick she’d never had before. The moment it registered though, Jean stopped.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

“No, I’m sorry,” Ororo said. “Please, let us sit, eat, and talk.”

=X=

The Jade and Pearl Club was once the premiere club of Hightown, a shining jewel that once attracted elites from the world over. It was known for its music, its food and its atmosphere.  It had fallen out of favor so long ago though, that Logan didn’t even remember its heyday. In his time, he knew it only as a seedy strip club. It didn’t surprise him to hear about their closure.

They stood on the roof opposite the building.  The sign remained, but the metal letters had rusted and the neon tubes were shattered.

Gambit stood behind him shuffling a deck of cards. “It’s empty,” he said. “They’re gone.”

“How do you know?” Logan grunted.

“T’ieve’s secret,” he said.

“Cajun,” he said.

“They’ve cut themselves off from the grid, but the generators are cold.  As much as Stryfe would like to give us the impression otherwise, even his future tech couldn’t generate power without waste heat.”

“Can you get us in then?”

Remy grinned and dealt himself a hand of cards. “Easy peasy.”

=X=

Kurt was teleporting across the exterior of the Blackbird, inspecting the hull for dents, cracks and scratches. However, he stopped the moment he felt her enter the hangar. He spun, his smile growing wide the moment he saw Jean.

“Fräulein!” he exclaimed. He teleported across the large room, just about ten feet in front of her and bounded the rest of the distance on all fours.  He jumped up and embraced her tightly. Jean laughed and returned the hug.

“Oh Elf,” she said. “It’s so good to see you too.”

“I wish I could say tell me everything, but I doubt there is much to tell,” he said. “But I am so glad to have you here again. With us once more.”

“I’m so happy as well,” she said. “I understand you’ve been to hell and back.”

“Ja, indeed!” he laughed. “I feel our experiences with the great beyond are quite different, nein?”

“Indeed,” she said, her smile warm and genuine. “We have much to discuss. Over dinner maybe? Hank is halfway into making enough chili to feed the entire contingent. I believe he’s using reindeer in fact.”

“Logan brought in a reindeer?”

“Laura and Gabby did actually,” she said.

“Gabby?”

“Oh Kurt, maybe we should catch up now,” she laughed.

=X=

“This is bad, isn’t it?” Gambit said.

They stood in the basement of the club, but the kitchen that they were supposed to be standing in was gutted. In its place was a complicated series of tech horrors that Logan and Gambit knew too well.

“The only question is whether he’s involved willingly or against his will,” Logan growled as he stood from over a broken glass cylinder. It was just wide enough to hold a human body, and seemed to have been tall enough before it had broken. What remained was filled with a thick nutrient sludge.

“What are you two talking about?” Magik said. “Who is it?”

“Sinister,” Gambit said. “Explains Maddie, explains the fake X-Men.”

“There was more to them than that,” Logan said. “They stunk. Brimstone.”

“Limbo,” Illyana growled.  “Give me a moment.” One of her teleporting discs appeared and enveloped her.

Remy looked at Logan and cocked his eyebrow. “Dat’s always creepy.”

“Don’t be a wimp,” he growled. “You’ve seen worse.”

He began shuffling through the remains of the cloning tubes.  There was more than the four clones. They had scrubbed the space clean of anything that would tell them exactly what they were doing, computers, files, etcetera, which made him even more nervous.

A moment later, Illyana reappeared, her clothing slightly tattered, with small spots of blood splatter across her body. Remy jumped and regarded her closely. Not all the blood was her own.

“I hate Limbo,” she growled. “Apparently the Goblyn Queen utilized a creation energy called the Goblyn Force to reform herself, as well as create facsimiles of Warren, Bobby and Henry. They just needed Earthly vessels to leave Limbo.”

“Hence Sinister,” Logan growled.

“We gotta get home,” Remy said. “Dis is very bad.”

“That’s an understatement Cajun,” Logan growled. “‘Yana…”

“Let’s go,” she muttered.

=X=

**Anchorage, The Next Day**

“Are you sure about this?” Hank McCoy asked. Scott Summers looked at Jean. She smiled.  The X-Men stood assembled in the main hangar of the complex, everyone in a loose crowd around Jean.

“Trust me,” she whispered. “I’ve earned that.”

“Jean, you’ve never-”

“Slim,” Logan grunted.

“Go on,” Ororo whispered.

“Before I start,” she said, “There’s something I haven’t told you all. I don’t think I need to though. You’ll see. Stand back.”

The group took a collective step back from her. A moment later, Jean was surrounded by a pink energy field, with her left palm glowing brightest. A moment after that, the entire planet saw Jean Grey in their mind’s eye.

“Good afternoon everyone,” she said. “I am sorry for the intrusion. However, my message is important. My name is Jean Grey, and I am the leader of the X-Men. As you may surmise, the rumors of our collective death is greatly exaggerated. But that is not the message that I am standing before you to deliver.” She took a deep breath.

“I appear to you as a herald of things to come. A powerful cabal of mutants led by my twin and her son are organizing across the globe to resurrect one of the most powerful and evil mutants the world has ever known, En Sabbah Nur. As best we can tell, this event will be the harbinger to perhaps the greatest war in human history.” She opened her arms, palms facing up.

“If you are a mutant that opposes us, we ask you to reconsider, and join with us to oppose Apocalypse and the cult that follows him. If you are our ally, we ask you to stand with us to stop these forces before they destroy our world. And if you are our enemy-” Her face shifted slightly, into a look of angry determination. “-I assure you that we will not stop until your plans have been ruined, your armies lay devastated, and your existence has been wiped from the face of the Earth.”

She set her jaw. “And if you are an X-Man, lost in the actions of our foes, or scattered by other circumstances, I have one last thing to say.” She held her hand out.

“To me, my X-Men.”

=X=

Steve Rogers jumped from his desk and rushed to the main operations center of his SHIELD Helicarrier.

“Get me every bit of intel our psychics gleaned from that broadcast!”

=X=

Tony Stark turned in his chair and looked out to the Pacific Ocean. He picked up his water bottle, took a deep swig and smiled.

“Welcome back Miss Grey.”

=X=

Sebastian Shaw turned to Selene.

“It seems that it is time.”

=X=

Victor Creed smiled through the blood dripping down his face. He stood and dropped the mangled sack of meat that was once a person. Maybe this job wouldn’t be so difficult after all.

“Maria,” he growled. His StarkPhone beeped in response. “Call Raven…”

=X=

Mesmero scowled. He turned to his compatriots.

“This will be a hitch in our plans.”

=X=

Charles Xavier and Magnus looked at each other, smiles on their faces. A young voice behind them laughed.

“It’s about damn time!” Jubilation Lee said.

=X=

Nathan Summers looked at Lucas Bishop, while his daughter Hope paced nearby.

“You’re sure, this is how it begins?”

“Unfortunately, the End Times Database isn’t… I don’t know.”

=X=

“Chills,” Bobby Drake said. “Absolute chills.” Nightcrawler laughed from next to him.

“So what’s next?” Tempus asked. The assembled team began murmuring quietly amongst themselves.

“Next…” Jean said, taking Scott’s hand, giving it a squeeze, then releasing it. “Next we go to war.”

While the rest of the group began talking, Scott, Logan and Ororo shared a look, then collectively glanced at Jean’s left hand, and the gem stone they saw embedded in it…

=X=

Charles wheeled his chair to the balcony of his office. The Savage Land facility had been the safe haven of the young X-Men for weeks now. He had a feeling that was about to change.

“Penny for your thoughts old friend?” Magneto said. He joined his friend, as the bright colors of a Savage Land sunset began to fill the sky.

“Of all the battles, all the wars we’ve fought, they may simply be prelude to the events of coming days.”

Magnus put his hand on Charles’ shoulder. “Indeed, but it may also be the last war we fi-”

Suddenly the entire complex shook.

“What was-”

The complex shook again, this time much more violently. Chunks of the ceiling above them broke free, striking both men and knocking them unconscious…

=X=

NEXT: Defending the next generation...

 


End file.
